VolumePurchaseProgram
Latest
Apple announces Mac app volume purchase program
Apple has given developers a heads-up that Mac apps will "soon be eligible to participate in the Volume Purchase Program for Business and Education" in the Mac App Store. The message, which a tipster forwarded to TUAW, notes that the Volume Purchase Program gives educational institutions and businesses a way to purchase multiple copies of an app at one time. Developers can also choose to offer a discount to educational institutions, at which point institutions purchasing 20 or more copies of an app in a single order get a 50 percent discount. Apps have to be enrolled in the program to be available at the educational discount.
Apple launches B2B store for volume App Store purchases
Apple announced last week that it would begin offering volume purchasing for iOS apps, and a week later the program is open for enrollment (but still U.S.-only, unfortunately). Enrolling in the program requires that you be authorized to make purchases for your company, and you'll also need a valid D-U-N-S number. Volume purchasing allows businesses an alternative to the App Store for bulk purchases of iOS apps. All paid apps in the App Store are available through the program, at the same price as that listed in the App Store. Note that Apple's guide to the program doesn't mention anything about discounts for bulk app purchases, so purchasing Keynote for all 50 of your employees is going to run you close to US$500. Custom B2B apps are also offered, allowing a level of customization and privacy not offered through the traditional App Store purchasing route. The program also simplifies bulk distribution of iOS apps, allowing distribution of purchased apps' redemption codes via email, an internal website, or third-party Mobile Device Management. There doesn't appear to be any cost to enroll in the program, and it seems to be pretty close to addressing most of the features businesses interested in volume purchasing have been asking for since not long after the App Store's debut.
Apple intros App Store volume purchasing, businesses enthused
Got iOS devices deployed across your enterprise? Listen up. Apple's just announced the Volume Purchase Program, enabling businesses to procure applications from the US App Store en-masse. Upon registering with Cupertino, corporate overlords can then access a web-form to acquire and sling apps to their plebeian employees at will. And for those needing custom corporate-only software? It looks like bespoke B2B applications -- even ones built by third parties -- will soon be distributed via the same mechanism. We're not orchard owners, but them Apples are looking mighty tasty, and it's past BlackBerry season, right?
